Traditional fantasy roleplaying games

20 Quick Questions: Rules

Jeff Rients has a great list of 20 quick questions to add campaign details in ways that are likely to affect actual play. I was thinking, based on this other post by Jeff about treating all editions of D&D as a toolbox and this post by JB over at B/X Blackrazor about creating his own version of D&D, that it would be useful to have a list of rules that often change from campaign to campaign.

Here are 20 rules clarifications that are likely to be needed anyways at some point.

Ability scores generation method?

How are death and dying handled?

What about raising the dead?

How are replacement PCs handled?

Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

What’s required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

What do I get experience for?

How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?

Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

How do I identify magic items?

Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

Can I create magic items? When and how?

What about splitting the party?

If you decide this stuff early, you are less likely to have misunderstandings and more likely to all be on the same page.

What’s required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time? Level up during rest, new spells must be acquired the hard way (scrolls, or stealing a spell book)

What do I get experience for? 3M’s (Money, Magic, and Monsters)

How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination? Combination, usually a die roll made up on the fly if its not obvious

Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work? Yes. Morale by common sense, knowledge of NPCs, and an occasional d6 to introduce some randomness

How do I identify magic items? By use, spell, or paying for assistance

Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions? Potions to a limited extent and occasionally something else here or there, but definitely no shops!

By “magic” I just meant magic items – the standard DMG awards for stuff. I’ve awarded bonuses for particularly impressive roleplaying or creative problem solving in the past, but these days I’m fairly by the book on XP.

Not currently running a game, but if I were, this is how I would answer:

Ability scores generation method? 3d6 x7, assigned as you roll (after each roll, so if you want a fighter and put a 16 in STR and later roll an 18, too bad. Any roll (why I require 7 rolls), at any time, may be assigned to GPx10.

How are death and dying handled? Some are buried, some burned, some mummified… Seriously though, once HPs = 0, damage goes straight to abilities, which is a bear to heal!

What about raising the dead? On a litter, maybe lashed to a pole, or even a spire. Have considered only allowing name level characters this benefit. But mostly, dead is dead.

How are replacement PCs handled? Either freshly rolled (1st level only) or you flesh out a hireling (obviously lower level than PCs as they get less XP), so treat ’em well and keep them alive, you may be one of them!